Our contribution to Kaitiakitanga
Kaitiakitanga is Māori for guardianship and protection. It recognises that we’re all merely nature’s custodians, or Kaitiaki, temporarily in charge and bearing ultimate responsibility for how we hand-on the land, air and seas to future generations.
As advocates for sustainable and regenerative tourism, we’re proud to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Our team created what we call our “Pillars of Responsibility”, which are the commitments that define how we operate and influence all our major decision-making. They support our commitment to restoring nature, reducing carbon, and eliminating waste.
- Facilitate the restoration, replenishment, and regeneration of the forests of which we are the guardians.
- Act proactively, both directly and in partnerships with others, to protect our native fauna and flora from introduced pests and predators.
- Limit the effects of climate change caused by our business by measuring, reducing, and mitigating our greenhouse gas emissions.
- Help our visitors to discover the value of Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural landscape, to understand why its protection is important to them and how they too can embrace the principles of Kaitiakitanga.
In 2011 we purchased the site for our Waiheke operations, a strip of remnant rainforest, over 700 years old in parts, that was in a tragic state. It was overrun with invasive weeds, choking it from forest-floor to canopy, and introduced predators like rats and stoats had decimated the native birds and wildlife. We accepted the challenge of becoming the kaitiaki or guardians, pledging to restore and rebalance its ecology. Today the weeds are gone, thousands of native trees have been planted and are naturally regenerating, and predators are well under control. Its biodiversity has exploded and our visitors, routinely encounter native birds and reptiles.
With our emphasis on sustainable regenerative tourism, we offer guests the chance to become Kaitiaki themselves. For NZ$4, a guest can offset their ferry and/or vehicle transport emissions by planting an eco-sourced native tree; a tree that will still be standing in hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The programme has been so successful that we ran out of room to plant trees at our Waiheke site, so we partnered with other organisations to donate trees and help restore wetlands and native forests in the surrounding areas.
With our new location in Kaikōura , our eco mission begins again, but from a slightly different starting point. The site is constructed on farmland with pockets of native forest that we plan to restore and extensively expand. We have so much space in fact, that we are building our very own native plant nursery that will house our seedlings for this and other restorative projects. Our intention is to plant (or donate) a native tree for every guest who zips with us, with the hope that this will amount to over 40,000 trees annually which will leave a legacy we can be proud of.
Outside of our direct environmental and conservation initiatives, we also measure our carbon emissions, tracking everything from employee commuting to wastewater output which has seen EcoZip being successfully certified as a Climate Positive business by ekos. We offset 120% of our carbon emissions which actually makes us Carbon Positive. Our carbon credits are then sourced from projects that grow and protect indigenous forests in NZ and the Pacific to deliver climate resilience, waterway protection, biodiversity conservation and community economic development.
In 2021, our commitment to environmental and sustainability initiatives was recognised with a Qualmark 100% Pure New Zealand Experience award. The award is for businesses “who are enriching their operating environment through initiatives that support the sustainability of the business and their communities”. It’s an accolade that we are immensely proud of, but we know that none of this environmental success would be possible without you, our visitors. So, when you fly down our ziplines you’re not just having fun, you’re helping to restore and protect New Zealand’s environmental and cultural heritage.
None of this environmental success would be possible without you, our visitors. So, when you whistle down our ziplines you’re not just having fun, you’re helping to restore and protect New Zealand’s environmental and cultural heritage.
